Cape Breton Places & Foods

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia stretches 500 kilometres on a southwest-northeast axis from Cape Sable to Cape North, the shape of the province is often compared to that native delicacy, the lobster, with Cape Breton Island representing the outstretched claws, preparing to nip unsuspecting Newfoundland across the Cabot Strait.

The outstanding geographical fact about Nova Scotia is not the land, but the sea. The province is virtually an island connected to the rest of Canada by the narrow Isthmus of Chignecto. No point of land is more than 55 kilometres from the coastline. Cape Breton is an island joined to the mainland by the Canso Causeway. It is the sea that has carved the wild and ragged shoreline of the Atlantic coast and the sea that creates the wondrous tides of the Bay of Fundy. It is the sea upon which the first European settlers arrived and the sea from which they pulled their livelihood in once bursting nets. It is the sea for which they built ships to sail to other seas, bringing back goods rare and precious and tales even stranger. Not surprisingly, it is to the sea that Nova Scotians today are looking for new sources of wealth from offshore oil and gas.

The province can be divided into three distinct physiographic regions - the lowlands, the uplands and the highlands, which in tum may be subdivided into distinct sub-regions. The lowlands include the fertile Annapolis Valley, the low-lying areas around the Northumberland Strait and large parts of Cape Breton Island. The geology is primarily sedimentary and it is in these areas that most of Nova Scotia's rich coal seams are located. These coasts tend to be low and flat, and there are few good harbours. The shoreline is characterized by sandbars and occasional dunes. Bathers can often wade many hundreds of metres on these sandbars when the tide is out.

The Atlantic uplands comprise an area equal to half the province, running from Cape Canso, Guysborough County, to the extreme southern tip, including all of Yarmouth, Shelburne, Queens and Lunenburg counties, and most of Digby, Halifax and Guysborough counties. The uplands are a mass of Pre-Cambrian hard granite and quartzite, interspersed with belts of weaker slate. l'he area has been heavily glaciated with the result that much of the soil has been scraped away and redeposited in numerous glacial formations, the most famous of which is the drumlin that forms Halifax's Citadel Hill.

Nova Scotia The coastline of the uplands region is deeply indented, forming many good harbours, some of which are considered outstanding. Hundreds of islands dot the landscape along the entire Atlantic coast, most notably at St. Margarets Bay and Mahone Bay. Reefs and shoals abound, accounting for the many lighthouses erected along this coast. In many ways the Atlantic uplands coast epitomizes the North Atlantic coastline with its bare granite sheets plunging headlong into the raging surf to produce an awesome cataclysm between land and sea. When people think of Nova Scotia, they usually envisage the rocky granite shores of the uplands.

The highlands are those parts of the province where metamorphosed igneous and sedimentary rocks have either intruded through the preexisting lowland sediments or resisted erosion to a better degree than the surrounding softer rock. The Cape Breton Highlands are the most notable example. The Cobequid Mountains of Cumberland and Colchester counties, the Antigonish highlands, and the North Mountain, which runs parallel with the Fundy shore from Cape Blomidon to Digby Neck, are the other Nova Scotia highlands. Appearing as sharp ridges when viewed from below, the highlands are actually flat tablelands. This may be observed first hand in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park. At Ingonish, and at Cheticamp, the Cabot Trail rises to the tablelands, several hundred metres above the sea level.

The outstanding feature of the highlands is rectilinear coastlines. In contrast with the hundreds of bays and peninsulas of the Atlantic coast, the shoreline of the Bay of Fundy and western Cape Breton are virtually straight. Here, uplifted highland cliffs that soar up hundreds of metres directly from the ocean create stretches of spectacular landscapes. Less well known, but no less spectacular, are the cliffs of the Bay of Fundy coast, which are interspersed with fossils and unusual minerals.


Boy Hero of Herring Cove

Filed under: Herring Cove — admin @ 4:55 am

As one gazes out to sea from our meeting place by the Old Town Clock on the Citadel, one can see Thrum Cap shoals and just opposite is the little fishing village of Herring Cove.

Today I want to take you back over the years to 1797 to tell you about the wreck of His Majesty’s Ship La Tribune and about a young hero about thirteen years of age, a boy whose home was in Herring Cove. His name was Joe Cracker. Perhaps his descendants live there today. The account from which the report of the wreck was obtained gives all the details and names of important individuals aboard the doomed ship, but fails to record the name of the Herring Cove boy, who by his example shamed older men to action, and whose name should be honored down through the years. Thanks to the Nova Scotia Historical Society his name was brought to light and honor given, to whom honor was certainly due, by the erection a few years ago, of a tablet on the sea side of the Herring Cove lighthouse.

La Tribune was one of the finest frigates in His Majesty’s service mounted 44 guns and had been lately captured by Captain Williams in the Unicorn frigate. She was commanded by Captain S. Barker, and sailed from Torbay the 22nd September, as convoy to the Quebec and Newfoundland fleets. In Lat. 49* 14″, Long. 17* 29″ she fell in with and spoke to his Majesty’s ship Experiment from this place, out 12 days. She lost sight of all her convoy October 19th in Lat. 46* 16″, Long. 32* 11″. On Thursday, November 28th, 1797, they discovered this Harbor about 8 o’clock in the morning. The wind being E.S.E. they approached it very fast, when Captain Barker proposed to the master that they should lay the ship to till they could obtain a pilot; the master replied, “he had beat a 44 gun ship into the harbor, that he had been frequently here and that there was no occasion for a pilot, as the wind was fair.” Confiding in these assurances Captain barker went below and was for a short time employed in arranging some papers he wished to take on shore with him. The master in the meantime taking upon himself the pilotage of the ship, and placing great dependence upon the judgment of a negro man by the name of John Casey, [who had formerly belonged here] whom he had placed forward to con the ship. About 12 o’clock had approached so near the Thrum Cap shoals that the master became alarmed and sent for Mr. Galvin the master’s mate. Who was sick below? On his coming on deck he heard the man in the chains sing out “by the mark five” the black man forward at the same time singing out “steady.” Galvin got on one of the carronades to observe the situation of the ship, the master in such agitation at the same time taking the wheel from the man who was steering with an intent to wear ship, but before this could be effected or Galvin able to give an opinion, she struck, Captain Barker instantly came on deck and reproached the master at having lost the ship. Seeing Galvin also on the deck, he addressed him and said [as he knew he had formerly sailed out of this harbor] that he was much surprised that he could stand by and see the master run the ship on shore. Galvin informed the Captain that he had not been on deck long enough to give an opinion. Signals of distress were instantly made and answered by the military posts and ships in the harbor.

Boats from all the military posts and the ships in the harbor, from His Majesty’s ships and from the Dockyard, proceeded to the relief of La Tribune. The military boats and one of the boats from the Dockyard, with Mr. Rackum, boatswain of the Ordinary, reached the ship; but the other boats, though making the greatest exertions, were not able, the wind being so much against them, to get on board. The ship was immediately lightened by throwing all her guns, except one retained for signals overboard and every other heavy article so that about half-past eight o’clock in the evening the ship began to heave and about nine she got off the shoals. She had before at about five or six o’clock lost her rudder, and on examination it was now found that she had seven feet of water in the hold. The chain pumps were immediately manned and such exertions made that they seemed to gain on the leaks, and by advice of Mr. Rackum the Captain ordered to let go the best bower anchor. This was done but it did not bring her up. The Captain then ordered them to cut the cable, and the jib and fore topmast stag sail were hoisted to steer by. All this time the violent gale, which had come on from the south east, kept increasing and carrying them to the western shore. In a short time the small bower anchor was let go, at which time they found themselves in about thirteen fathoms of water. The mizzen mast was then cut away. It was now about ten o’clock. The water gaining fast on the ship, little hope remained of saving the ship or their lives. All hopes of safety had vanished, the ship was sinking fast, the storm was increasing with redoubled violence, the rocky shore to which they were approaching resounding with the tremendous noise of the billows which rolled towards it, presented nothing to those who might survive the sinking of the ship, but the expectation of a more painful death from being dashed against those tremendous precipices, which even in the calmest day it is almost impossible to ascend. Dunlap, one of the survivors, stated that about half past ten at night, as nearly as he could conjecture, one of the men that had been below came to him on the forecastle and told him the ship was sinking; in a few minutes after, the ship took a lurch as a boat will do when nearly filled with water and going down. The jolly boat was let down with four men in her-but instantly the ship took a second lurch and sank to the bottom; after which neither the Captain nor any of the officers were seen. The scene, sufficiently distressing before became now particularly awful-more than 240 men, besides several women and children were floating on the waves making their last efforts to preserve their existence. Dunlap, whom we have before mentioned, gained the foretop. Mr. Galvin, the master’s mate, after incredible difficulty, got into the main-top, he was below when the ship sank, directing the men at the chain pump. He was washed up the hatchway, thrown into the waste and from there into the water and his feet as he plunged, struck a rock. On rising again he swam to the shrouds and arrived at the main-top and seated himself on the arm chest which was lashed to the mast. It appears that nearby one hundred persons were for a considerable time hanging to the shrouds, the tops and other parts of the wreck. On the main-top four only were alive when morning appeared; and ten were at one time alive on the foretop but three of them got so exhausted and had become so unable to help themselves that before any relief came, they were finally washed away; three others perished, and four only were finally left alive in the foretop. The place where the ship went down was only about three times her length to the southward of the entrance into Herring Cove. The people came down in the night to the point opposite to which the ship sunk and kept large fires, and were so near as to converse with the people on the wreck. Now we come to the hero part of our story.

The first exertion that was made for their relief was by a boy, thirteen years old, from Herring Cove by the name of Joe Cracker, who ventured off in a small skiff by himself about eleven o’clock the next day; and this truly deserving young lad with great exertions and at extreme risk to himself, ventured to approach the wreck and backed in his little boat so near to the foretop as to take off two of the men, for the boat could not with safety hold any more; and here a heroic action occurred which deserves to be noticed. Dunlap and Munroe had, throughout the disastrous night providentially preserved their strength and spirits beyond their unfortunate companions, and had endeavored to cheer and encourage them as they found their spirits sinking; they were now both of them able to have stepped into the boat and put an end to their own sufferings, but their other two companions though alive, were unable to help themselves. They lay exhausted on the top, wished not to be disturbed and seemed desirous to perish where they lay. These generous fellows hesitated not a moment to remain themselves, on the wreck and to save, though against their will their unfortunate companions. They lifted them up and by the greatest exertions got them into the little skiff, and the manly boy rowed them triumphantly to the Cove and instantly had them conveyed to a comfortable habitation. After shaming, by his example, older persons who had larger boats, he put off again in his little skiff, but with all his efforts he could not then approach the wreck. His example, however, was soon followed by men in the La Tribune’s jollyboat and by some of the boats from the Cove, and by their joint exertions the other men were preserved, who with four that escaped in the jollyboat make twelve, the whole number of survivors of this fine ship’s company.

Some were disposed to blame Capt. Barker as exhibiting too much obstinacy in not abandoning the ship and preserving his crew as a violent storm was evidently approaching, but on examining the men who survived, it was found [though other officers in the same position might have formed a different judgment] that the conduct of Captain Barker was throughput the trying scene completely cool and collected. Though from the manner in which the ship had run ashore, no blame could be attached to him, yet he could not reconcile it to himself to lose so fine a ship without making every exertion to save her. Having by the greatest efforts considerably lightened, he had reason to suppose she might get off before high-water. She made no water while she lay aground, there were therefore great hopes, if she could not that night been got up the harbor she might with safety have been brought to anchor and have ridden out the gale. When she finally got off, universal joy was diffused throughout the ship-every man thought the object of their joint efforts was attained- but the rapid manner in which the water poured into her, soon damped their joy and plunged them into despair. Had the ship been finally saved by the great exertions which were made to affect it, every man would have praised Captain Barker, and notwithstanding those exertions failed, we think it can be justly said, as in the language of Addison, “Tis not in mortals to command success, Barker did more, he did deserve it.”

To his memory therefore and that of his brave fellow sufferers, the commiseration of their countrymen is justly due.

As a reward for his heroism Joe Cracker was made a Midshipman in His Majesty’s Navy. He did not, however, like it and so was let out and disappeared from further notice as far as can be ascertained. And as we look out towards Thrum Cap and Herring Cove let us think of the lad, Joe Cracker, who so long ago contributed to the splendid record of heroism, of which Nova Scotian fisher folk are so justly proud.

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